Toronto beat San Jose 3-1 at Scotiabank Arena on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, snapping a three game losing streak.
The sharpest detail was the winner: Gavin McKenna scored the go-ahead goal at 4:56 of the third period, his first NHL power play goal, beating Yaroslav Askarov glove side from the slot.
The First McKenna Versus Stenberg Meeting Goes To Toronto
This was the first meeting between McKenna, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and Ivar Stenberg, the No. 2 pick by San Jose. Draft position meetings can be overplayed in October, but this one had a clear scorecard by the end of the night. McKenna scored the winning goal on the power play in the third period. Stenberg finished minus 1 with one shot in 14:27 of ice time. Toronto needed a result after going 0-2-1 in its previous three games, and its youngest headline player delivered the moment that separated a tight game.
McKenna described the winning shift in his own words after the game:
“That’s a huge night for the group. That whole shift, the puck was bouncing around, and a lot of battle wins from the guys, and had a little bit of time and space in front. Shot low glove and it went in. (I was) pretty fired up.” Gavin McKenna, Toronto Maple Leafs, published by NHL.com
The quote matters because it credits the work before the shot. Battle wins kept the power play alive, the puck found McKenna in the slot, and he used the small window of space in front. That sequence is a useful early portrait of how Toronto can use him: not only as a finisher in open ice, but as the player arriving in the middle when a shift has already been won along the boards.
Matthews Ties It, Bobrovsky Holds It, Paul Seals It
Mason Marchment opened the scoring for San Jose at 13:54 of the first period, and Toronto chased the game until late in the second. Auston Matthews tied it with a power play goal with 11 seconds left in the second period, part of a goal and two assist night. It was Matthews’ team leading seventh goal of the season and the 112th power play goal of his career, a reminder that even on a night built around the rookie, Toronto’s captain still drove the comeback.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for his first home win with Toronto, keeping the third period at 1-1 long enough for McKenna to break it. Nick Paul sealed the result with an empty net goal late in the third, listed at 19:19 in the game report. Toronto improved to 4-4-2, while San Jose fell to 4-4-1. The shape of the win was mature: fall behind early, tie it on the power play before the intermission, defend the tie through a veteran goaltending performance, and let the power play decide it in the third.
By The Numbers
- Final score: Toronto 3, San Jose 1 at Scotiabank Arena, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026
- Gavin McKenna: go-ahead goal at 4:56 of the third period, his first NHL power play goal
- Auston Matthews: one goal and two assists; team leading seventh goal, 112th career power play goal
- Sergei Bobrovsky: 30 saves and his first home win with Toronto
- Ivar Stenberg for San Jose: minus 1, one shot, 14:27 of ice time in the first McKenna versus Stenberg meeting
- Records: Toronto improved to 4-4-2 and snapped an 0-2-1 skid; San Jose fell to 4-4-1
Why This Win Matters More Than Two Points
McKenna’s Toronto story started earlier this month, in the comeback covered in McKenna Nets First Goal, Leafs Rally, where he scored his first NHL goal. Monday was a step beyond a first goal. A first goal is a milestone; a third period winner that ends a losing streak is a result. Toronto also has recent evidence of its stars carrying a road game, in Nylander Powers Maple Leafs Past Avalanche, but home wins built on patience had been harder to find during the skid.
That is why this one should settle the room. The Leafs did not chase the game into mistakes after Marchment scored, Bobrovsky gave them time, Matthews produced the tying goal and two assists, and McKenna finished the job his draft position promises. At 4-4-2, Toronto is not yet where it wants to be, but a Monday night at home that ends with its No. 1 pick scoring the winner, its captain driving the offence, and its veteran goalie making 30 saves is exactly how a slump is supposed to end.
